Of Ivalice and Azeroth
by Dracolyte
Summary: Three Azerothians wind up in Ivalice. FFTA X WoW crossover, obviously . Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

Erich Lightsworn was incredibly nervous. The 32-year-old Human Paladin hadn't been this high-strung since his time serving in the Third War. He chewed his beard and looked at his Shattered Sun Offensive standard-issue armor, making sure it was still polished. "Calm down," he said to himself, "you're just going before A'dal for a ceremony. You'll just get your reward along with the rest, and then it'll be over."

A week ago, Erich had been a part of an attack on the Sunwell Plateau made by the Shattered Sun Offensive. It hadn't gone well, and Erich was left half-dead inside Parhelion Plaza with the corpses of some of his comrades. However, a band of 25 adventurers, who were also being celebrated at the ceremony, came in and saved him from the brink of death. In his gratitude, he had helped them as best as he could to get to the re-ignited Sunwell and stop Kil'jaeden from coming into this world. The battle was long and hard, but eventually he and the adventurers (with the aid of the Blue Dragonflight and Anveena Teague) prevailed.

Now, A'dal, the powerful Naaru ruler of Shattrath City, was going to reward Erich and the 25 adventurers in a large ceremony, and he had to look his best.

"Knock, knock," said a voice from the door to his quarters. Erich looked behind him and saw the figure of his Draenei C.O., Lady Kataa. "Ma'am!" Erich shouted, snapping to attention and saluting. "At ease," she replied, and Erich put his arm down. "Pardon the state of my quarters, ma'am, but I'm in the middle of getting ready for the ceremony today," Erich said. "By the Light, man, have you got enough product in that ponytail?" Lady Kataa asked with a grin.

"Just trying to look my best, ma'am."

"You DO know that the ceremony isn't for another four hours, right?"

"Four hours? Good! That'll give me enough time to apply another coat of polish to my armor," Erich said, looking for his jar of armor polish and the handkerchief that he used to apply it with. Lady Kataa grabbed his hand. "You've got enough polish on your armor as is, son," she said reassuringly. She sat Erich down on his cot. "You're really high-strung, huh?" Lady Kataa asked. Erich nodded yes. "Don't be. You know as well as I do that A'dal is a kind and benevolent being. You'll be fine. Show some courage, soldier." Erich smiled weakly at the last part. "The entire city'll be there, though!" Erich responded. "I have to look my best!" "Relax," Lady Kataa responded. "You're getting an honorable discharge from the Offensive at the ceremony, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Well, then, I'll miss you," Lady Kataa replied, hugging Erich tightly. "I'm glad we got to be friends." "Me, too," Erich said. "Well," Lady Kataa said, breaking her embrace, "I have some business to take care of. I won't be at the ceremony, so I'll say this now. Goodbye, soldier, and good luck. Dismissed." She stood at attention and saluted, and Erich did the same. With that, Lady Kataa walked from the room.

Three and a half hours later, Erich gathered his things and put his armor on. He walked through the Offensive's base camp (with many cheers and huge amounts of applause) to the special portal to Shattrath that Astromancer Darnarian had (grudgingly) made for him. Stepping through the portal, he found himself in Shattrath. He was surprised to see that he wasn't the first one there: four of the adventurers were there as well.

In half an hour the ceremony began. It was long and quite boring, or so Erich thought. The fact that he had to kneel the entire time wasn't so great, either. In the end, he and the other 25 people gathered there received a new set of armor and a weapon (Erich received the Lightbringer Battlegear and a hammer similar to those that the Shattrath Peacekeepers used, along with a new Libram). The ceremony ended with A'dal congratulating and thanking Erich and the 25 adventurers.

After the ceremony, Erich decided to walk around Shattrath and stretch his legs. "Two full hours of kneeling really gets to you," Erich thought, rubbing his sore knees as best as he could through his new armor. He decided to go to Aldor Rise and pray for a bit. As he was waiting for the elevator to Aldor Rise to come back down, however, a small dragonhawk materialized out of nowhere and squawked in his ear, starting him. Erich looked at the dragonhawk and realized that it was the familiar of his best friend, Gyram Runekeeper. The dragonhawk had a small piece of paper in its mouth. Erich pulled it from its mouth, upon which the small beast disappeared. Upon reading it, Erich found it to be no more than a hastily scrawled note. It read, "Discovered something big. Meet me at my house ASAP." "He obviously wants me there now," Erich thought. He rummaged in one of his bags and pulled out a golden horseshoe. He tossed the horseshoe on the ground and chanted a few prayers, summoning his Charger. He rode it back to A'dal's chamber, where he used the portal to Stormwind. Once there, he paid for a gryphon flight to the ruins of Dalaran, where Gyram lived with his wife and the rest of the Magi.

Erich could tell that Gyram had discovered something big when he saw the big, stupid smile on Gyram's face. "Erich! You're here!" Gyram shouted, embracing Erich in a hug. Erich returned the hug, saying, "Long time no see, old friend!" "Hello, Erich," Gyram's wife, L'lura, said from the doorway. "Hello to you too, L'lura," replied Erich. "So," Erich said to Gyram, "What's the big discovery that you've called me here to see?" "Ah yes, that! Come inside, and I'll show you, old friend," Gyram said, guiding Erich into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

Gyram led Erich through his home with L'lura bringing up the rear. "So what's the big discovery, Gyram?" Erich asked. "Well," Gyram responded, "you know how The Six have been funding my research of new spells, right?" "Right," replied Erich.

"And you know the theory of the Multiverse, that there are supposedly worlds beyond ours?"

"Right…."

"Well, two weeks ago I made a mistake while incanting the words for a portal to Stormwind, and I made a portal to another world!"

"Another WORLD?"

"Yes! I've ran some tests, and they show that the world can sustain life and is inhabited by sentient beings!"

Erich was shocked. Before him was the portal that Gyram had spoken of. The world it led to looked like a barren desert. "So what're you going to do with the portal?" Erich inquired. "Well," L'lura said, "we've asked The Six for permission, and we're going through." "WHAT?!" Erich shouted. "It could be dangerous there! Can't Dalaran spare a few Magi to go through?" "No, no," Gyram replied, "all of the Magi are busy with Dalaran. We've got big plans for it, you know."

"But you might get killed!"

"That's why YOU'RE coming with us."

Erich blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third time for good measure. "No. No way. Uh-uh. Not a chance."

"Come on, Erich! We need you! Besides, you owe me for when I dragged your half-dead body to the healers at the Battle of Mount Hyjal."

"Well… a debt is a debt, I suppose. All right, I'll come."

Gyram clapped his hands together. "Excellent! We're leaving right now."

"Right now? Don't we need to prepare?"

"Not really. L'lura and I can conjure food and water, so we won't need those. Also, we have a tent that can hold three people and three sleeping bags to go with it. We'll be fine."

"All right. If you're sure."

With that, the three stepped through the portal into the desert wilderness.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

L'lura, Gyram, and Erich had been riding through the desert for hours (Erich on his Charger, Gyram and L'lura on their unicorns) and there was still no sign of civilization. The heat was so unbearable that L'lura's High Elven ears were drooping, and Erich was practically dying under his thick plate armor. They had gone through more bottles of conjured water than seemed possible, and yet they pressed on. Come midday, they saw what appeared to be a town on the horizon. Approaching it at a full gallop, the trio arrived there in about half an hour.

As soon as they entered the town, the trio's jaws dropped. What kinds of creatures WERE these? There were ones that looked like lizards, small fuzzy things with pom-poms on their heads, tall females that looked like rabbits on high heels, hunched-over, aged looking creatures with strange hats, and (last, but not least,) humans.

The three then set about gathering information. They learned that they were in the mountain town of Sprohm in the world of Ivalice, but not much else. The three decided to head west, into the forest called the "Salikawood," to go over their situation and to try to garner more information about the world they were in. When they got there, however, things took a slight turn.

Gyram, L'lura, and Erich entered the Salikawood and found a place to sit. "Now," Gyram began, "we know where we are, but nothing else. We'll need to find out more about this world if we're to survive." "One thing, Gyram," Erich said, "why are we in this forest?" "Someone I talked to told me that a lot of "Clans" came through here. I'm not sure what he meant, but with any luck one of these "Clans" can provide us with some help."

There they waited for about 20 minutes. All of a sudden, L'lura heard something. "Listen, boys," she said, "I hear footsteps." "Can you tell what they're from?" Gyram inquired.

"No, but I can tell that there's a lot of whatever-it-is."

Erich, Gyram, and L'lura readied themselves for battle, just in case the footsteps turned out to be the ones of something unfriendly. The footsteps drew neared, and eventually the three could see that it was a large group of small, orange creatures in red clothes that had been making the noise. The beings were carrying one of the female, rabbitlike creatures that the three had seen in the town. She was unconscious and bound. "That's horrible! We should help her!" Erich said. The orange things heard Erich's words and snarled at him. They dropped the creature they were carrying, began to move into some sort of battle formation, and stood at the ready. "You and your big mouth!" Gyram shouted, slapping Erich upside the head.

When the creatures had dropped the Viera, she groggily opened her eyes. She saw that the Redcaps that were holding her prisoner had dropped her and were facing the other way in combat stances. She realized what was going on and thought, "Hopefully the people Engaging them will have more luck than I did." She heard the sound of the Judge materializing and one of her rescuers saying, "Who in the Light are you?" "I'm screwed," she thought. "My only chance is to help them."

Waiting until the Judge sounded his whistle, the Viera rolled out from behind the Redcaps and towards her would-be rescuers. "Hey!" she shouted, "Cut me loose!" Gyram heeded her words and cut her free with the small sword he kept at his belt. "Thanks," the Viera said, rubbing her wrists where the ropes had been. "Mind telling us what's going on here, ma'am?" Erich asked. "They've Engaged you! Hurry up and defeat them! I'll help you in whatever way I can, but those blasted Redcaps took my rapier. The laws for today prohibit the use of Holy magic." "Engaged? Laws? Redcaps? And who's the guy in the armor over there?" L'lura asked. "You don't know?" the Viera said in exasperation. "Laws are just that, laws. Follow them, or else. Engaged means you're in a battle. The guy in the armor is a Judge, an upholder of the Laws. And the things trying to kill us are Redcaps."

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm going to attack before anyone gets hurt!" Gyram shouted. He turned towards the oncoming Redcaps and began to summon a mighty Blizzard. The snow and ice whipped through their ranks, and the creatures called to each other in the sudden storm. Following Gyram's example, L'lura began to fire Fireball after Fireball at any Redcap she could find, and Erich charged right into the storm and started swinging his hammer wildly.

After all the Redcaps were no more, the Judge proclaimed the Engagement over and Gyram, L'lura, Erich, and the Viera the winners. The three Azerothians and the Viera rested after the battle. The Viera introduced herself as Polly, a Red Mage and Lieutenant of Clan Shadowear.

"So," L'lura asked of Polly, "what all can you tell us about this world?"


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

Polly told the three Azerothians all about Ivalice, from its laws to its rulers. She told them about the Clans and their constant struggle for power and against the Crown. She told them about the various races and areas of Ivalice, and after quite some time she was finished. "Wow," Gyram said, "this is fascinating. I wish I'd brought my journal with me." "Why did those Redcaps capture you, anyway?" L'lura asked. "Well," Polly responded, "I was returning from a dispatch mission-a mission where the clan leader sends out a clan member to do it-when I accidentally walked in on a group of them at what appeared to be a burial site. They ambushed me, and Gods-know-what they were going to do with me after they knocked me out."

The sun was sinking in the west, and Polly still had to get back to her clan, who had agreed to rendezvous in Sprohm. Erich offered the Viera an escort back, which she accepted. Mounting his Charger and pulling her up on the back (with Gyram and L'lura mounting their unicorns), the group sped towards Sprohm. Considering the ferocity with which the Redcaps had fought earlier, the group didn't want to wait and see what other horrors the night brought out of the Salikawood.

Reaching Sprohm just before the sun set, the foursome dismounted and walked to the pub where Clan Shadowear was waiting for Polly. As soon as they walked in, they saw an exclusively Viera table. "There they are," Polly said, walking over to the clan. One of the Viera, wearing an all-black garb with a mask that covered her nose and mouth, stood up and embraced Polly as she reached the table. "Welcome back, sister," the Viera said. "Who are these people?" she asked, looking at the Azerothians with what looked like disgust. "These are Gyram and L'lura Runekeeper and their companion, Erich Lightsworn. They saved me from a band of Redcaps." "Very well. Off you go," the Viera in black said to the three. "Actually, Miss Serina, I was wondering is they could join the clan. They are capable fighters and-" "Out of the question," Serina interjected. "We are an all-Viera clan, you know that."

"Please, Miss Serina, I beg you. They would make valuable additions to the clan, and Erich can heal. We've been looking for another healer for some time." Serina sighed. "We'll put it to a vote. Lieutenants, come with me up to my room. We'll vote in there."

"Thank you, Miss Serina," Gyram said. "Not so fast, outsider. First, you three have to answer questions about yourselves. First, where are you three from? I haven't seen equipment like that before," Serina said. "We are from a world known as Azeroth," L'lura replied. "We came here hoping to see what this world is like." "Fair enough," Serina responded. "Secondly, state your Jobs." "Jobs?" Erich asked with a puzzled look. "Your Jobs. You know, what class you are."

"Ah. Well, I myself am a Paladin of the Holy Light." "My husband and I are Archmagi of the Kirin Tor," L'lura stated. Serina looked at them quizzically. "Holy Light? Archmagi? Kirin Tor? Sounds suspicious to me. You three better watch yourselves. Third, have you three had any previous combat experience?" "Oh yes," Gyram said. "We all served in the Third War. It's where Erich and I met." "I see," Serina responded. "Well, we'll vote now. You three stay down here." Serina and her four lieutenants ascended the stairs. Gyram, Erich, and L'lura pulled up chairs and socialized with the rest of the clan. When Serina came back with her lieutenants, the three Azerothians felt as though time itself was slowing down. "We have come to a verdict," Serina stated. "You three may join the clan on a trial basis only. Once we see what you're capable of, you may or may not be able to join the clan as permanent members. The three breathed a sigh of relief.

Erich, L'lura, and Gyram were quickly briefed on Clan Shadowear and its members. Serina, the leader and founder of the clan, was an Assassin with a short fuse. The four lieutenants of the clan were Polly, the Red Mage whom they had helped in the Salikawood; Angeline, a sniper rumored to be able to hit a flying bird in the eye; Chiko, a Summoner who spent a good amount of time daily praying and meditating; and Lotte, a White Mage with a calm demeanor. The three were allowed to sleep in another room apart from the clan. Exhausted from the events of the day, the three went to their beds and slept.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

Erich had been dreaming about winning a lifetime supply of Tigule and Foror's Strawberry Ice Cream when Serina awakened him, Gyram, and L'lura with a shout of "Clan Shadowear! Front and center!" Erich put his armor on as fast as he could and joined the rest of the clan standing outside in the hallway. He stood at attention while Serina read off the day's missions and who would be dispatched that day. "Runekeeper! Runekeeper! Lightsworn! You three will be doing some solo battles today. Show us what you've got." "Yes, ma'am!" the three replied in unison. "That's all, clan. Hop to it!" Serina shouted. With that, the clan went downstairs to eat before the day officially began.

Later that day, the clan arrived at Tubola Cave, the place where the three Azerothians would show their worth. While the rest of the clan stayed outside, Serina and her lieutenants followed L'lura, Gyram, and Erich deep into the cave, Erich lighting the way with an aura of light emanating from his body. Eventually, the group reached a lighted area filled to the brim with artifacts. However, with these artifacts were monsters. Big ones. The minute the monsters saw the party, they Engaged them. The Judge materialized, and the battle began, Serina and her lieutenants in a place where they could watch the Azerothians fight without endangering themselves.

The laws for that day forbade Wind spells and abilities, so Gyram, L'lura, and Erich would be able to fight as normal. However, Serina wanted them to fight individually. She chose Erich to fight this battle by himself.

Basking in an Aura of Sanctity, Erich charged into the group of monsters, whispering a prayer to the Light to give him strength. The monsters charged as well, however, and Erich found himself flanked. "Your evil shall not shake my faith!" Erich shouted, Consecrating the ground beneath his feet. The monsters shrieked in pain and scrambled off of the holy ground. He put a Seal of Command on himself and began to chase after one of the monsters, a Lamia. Taking it down with a few hits from his hammer, he turned to another monster, a Panther. He was able to take it off-guard and crushed its head with his hammer. Erich looked around for the third and final foe and realized, to his horror, that it was a giant spider. Erich, being incredibly arachnophobic after fighting so many Nerubians in the Third War, stopped dead in cold fear. The spider, taking advantage of this, sped towards him. Gyram called to Erich, snapping him back to reality from his memories of the War and what he had seen the Nerubians do. Erich stunned the creature with a Hammer of Justice and Judged the beast with the Seal of Command he had put on himself. The spider began to flee, but Erich nailed it with a Hammer of Wrath, killing it. The Judge proclaimed the engagement over, and Serina and her lieutenants talked amongst themselves about Erich's performance.

"That was an alright performance, Lightsworn," Serina said after awhile. "Thank you, Miss Serina," the Paladin replied. "There is one thing that disturbs me, however. When that spider came after you, I thought a Time Mage had cast Stop on you. Arachnophobia isn't going to net you any points here. Think you can man up and get over it?" "I shall try with every fiber of my being, ma'am," Erich said, blushing slightly. "Good. Now help us look through these artifacts for the one we need," Serina said with what appeared to be a smile. "So am I in the clan?" Erich asked. "Not yet," Serina answered over her shoulder, "but this makes you look very promising." Erich grinned. He had made a good first impression. Now all he needed was something else, and he'd be guaranteed a position in the clan.

After the group had found the artifact they were looking for, they exited the cave and headed for their next destination: Bervenia Palace for a Mage Tourney. As soon as they had arrived, Serina and her lieutenants sent Gyram and L'lura in. They won the first three matches with relative ease, but the final battle was another story.

The group that Gyram and L'lura were fighting was no pushover. Immediately after the Engagement began, L'lura began to cast Pyroblast. Gyram called down a Blizzard to give L'lura more time to cast, but the opposing group was smart. They had the ability to throw whatever spells were cast at them back at the caster. This didn't bode well, for soon the entire field was covered in one huge storm of ice and snow. No one could see anything, and the Judge had to dispel the storm so the match could continue. Gyram stuck to using Frostbolts, summoning his Water Elemental as he saw fit. L'lura was able to demolish anyone who got too close with a mixture of Pyroblasts and Fireballs. Eventually the battle was won, ice and charred bodies littering the ground.

"Well done, Runekeepers," Serina commented after the battle was over, "You two work very well as a duo." "Thank you, ma'am," Gyram said. "After being husband and wife for so long, we work and think in sync," L'lura added. "This looks very good for the two of you. Maybe I misjudged you outsiders," Serina said. She turned away and walked towards the clan. Erich clapped the two on the back and congratulated them on a job well done.

That night, the clan returned to the pub in Sprohm, which, as Chiko had informed them, was the unofficial base of operations for Clan Shadowear. After a nice dinner and some tales of past battles, the clan headed to bed for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor set

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!

**Of Ivalice and Azeroth**

Several months had passed, and the three Azerothians had proven their worth to Serina. They were given membership into the clan and they fought in many Engagements. Clan Shadowear had become more powerful and was taking on more difficult missions, but no one expected what was going to happen the day Clan Shadowear took what would be the most difficult mission they had ever faced.

"Clan Shadowear! Front and center!" Serina barked. The clan assembled in front of her and stood at attention. "Morning, all," Serina said. "I've bought a mission for us that's going to be quite a handful, but I trust we can complete it. Apparently, there's a cult rising in Ivalice, a violent one. They've taken people and children for sacrifices to their god, and the Crown is unable to stop them, what with freedom of religion and all. Plus, they have no incriminating evidence that points to them as the cause of the disappearances. Word on the street is, however, that they're planning on summoning their god into Ivalice. We have to infiltrate the ritual and make sure that doesn't happen. We leave after breakfast. Dismissed!"

The clan made its way into the Jeraw Sands, where the cult would (supposedly) be performing the ritual in some ruins. "Alright," Serina began, "we'll go in two teams. Lightsworn, Polly, and Angeline will lead a party of three others. You're team one. Team two will consist of myself, the Runekeepers, Chico, and Lotte, as well as everyone else, will be team two. Team one, your main objective is to soften them up for our arrival. We'll come in in fifteen minutes. Good luck." With that, team one entered the dark, foreboding ruins.

Inside the ruins, the cultists had splattered blood and animal entrails all over the walls and floor. They were chanting madly with one person in a black robe in the middle of the floor. "Alright," Erich began, "I'll charge in and distract them while you all go around to the back and take out who you can." The rest of the team nodded and broke off. After whispering a prayer, imbuing himself with a Seal of Command, and activating an aura that would protect him from the shadow magic of the cultists, Erich charged in with a mighty battle cry.

Erich was thankful that he had been able to take the cultists by surprise. He tore into them with his hammer like a starving man tears into food, smashing their bones and making them realize that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. The rest of the team was no small affair, either; they ripped apart the cultists like there was no tomorrow. However, everyone noticed one thing: the person in the middle of the floor hadn't budged and wasn't affected by anything they threw at her. When the rest of the cult was lying in shambles, Erich healed the wounds of the rest of the team and, together, they went to confront the leader of the cult.

"Give up, moron! You've lost!" Polly shouted at the immobile figure.

"Have I, now?" the figure responded. All of a sudden, there was a flash of steel and a scream of pain. The woman now had a bloody scythe in her hand, and Polly was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. "Die. There is no Judge here to save you," the woman said. Erich healed Polly with the last of his mana and turned to face the woman in black. She chuckled darkly and swung the scythe again, hitting Angeline this time. "She's so fast!" Erich thought.

Erich and the rest of the team tried to fend off the woman's attacks, but to no avail. One by one they fell, waiting in desperation for Serina and team two to come. Over time it boiled down to a badly battered Erich and the leader of the cult. Erich released the energy of his Seal, but it seemed to have no effect on this evil woman. He swung with his hammer and hit nothing but air. All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His left arm was gone. He shrieked in pain and fell to the floor. "This is what you get for interrupting my ritual," the woman said, pointing her scythe at his throat. "I hope you enjoy the pleasure of bringing my glorious lord into this-" she was cut off as a dagger was plunged into her back.

"It's the others!" Erich thought. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the battle cries of the rest of the clan. The woman in black was constantly pelted with spells, arrows, and sheer melee force that she quickly fell. "So you think you've won, do you?" the woman asked. "Feast your eyes upon my true form!" Everyone who was still conscious or alive watched in horror as the woman began to turn into a giant, hideous demon. It was the color of blood, with giant, batlike wings, talons like giant butcher knives, and fangs like those of a shark. With one sweep of its mighty claw it killed three people.

"This is bad," Gyram thought. "Everyone's going to die because of that thing!"

The clan had made little progress on killing the demon. It seemed to get stronger over time, and the clan was wounded and tired. Gyram desperately searched for some sort of weak point, but to no avail. It wasn't until L'lura launched a lucky Fireball that the clan found out that its heart was stored on its back, in between its two wings. "Everyone!" L'lura shouted, "Aim for its back, between the wings!"

The demon didn't like L'lura giving out that bit of information one bit. Its attacks doubled in speed and ferocity. Soon, everyone was unconscious, dead, or dying except for Serina. The demon's rage was building, and it came at Serina with all it had. Serina, however, was dodging everything the demon threw at her. Finally, she was within attacking range of its weak point. The demon, however, caught her and began to crush her in its fist.

"Dammit!" Erich thought. Using the last of his energy, Erich stood up and shouted, "Divine Intervention!" A shield of invincible light formed around Serina, killing Erich and forcing the demon to drop her. The demon, howling in pain from the Holy nature of the light, bent over. Serina took this opportunity to run behind the demon and stab it between the wings. The demon, defeated, crumbled to ashes. The battle was over.

"My friends," Serina began, "we are gathered here today to remember our brother and sisters who have fallen in combat. I know that the five of them are with us in spirit, and their sacrifices shall not be forgotten. We bid farewell to you this day Polly, Chico, Lotte, Angeline, and Erich. May the spirits be with you and your ancestors receive you."

Many tears were shed the day after the battle with the demon. Everyone had lost someone they had known in the clan, and all were sorely missed.

L'lura and Gyram said goodbye to the clan and went back to Azeroth that day to bury Erich outside of Stormwind City, as per his final wishes. Gyram published his findings in Ivalice in a book, and soon there was talk of opening trade with Ivalice and going there for further studies. L'lura and Gyram lived very happy lives together and, with every anniversary of Erich's death, they would go to his grave with a bouquet of flowers to leave there.

As for Clan Shadowear, they gained renown throughout Azeroth for saving the world from the evil cult and its god. They continued to adventure throughout Ivalice, Serina leading them all the while. They never forgot the brave sacrifices of those who had perished, and held yearly memorial services for them.

This has been the story of two colliding worlds. Even though cultures may be different, the value of courage is universal.

_**The End.**_


End file.
